A investigation in California by Cal-OSHA and the Oakland Tribune revealed that the contractor building the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridgeâ€™s $1 billion replacement segment concealed worker injuries by not recording them when they occurred.

Workers, foremen and safety officers reported that employees for Kiewit Pacific/FCI Constructors/Manson Construction (KFM) were systematically encouraged to hide injuries, and were routinely fired when their injuries were too severe to hide. The state investigation has revolved around injury logs and medical records reported to Cal-OSHA.

Last June, Cal-OSHA fined the company a total of $5,790 for the 17 violations, which the company has characterized as a dispute over recordkeeping. KFM has appealed the citations with the Cal-OSHA appeals board.

The state has been criticized for its KFM decision over what activists have perceived as lax enforcement. â€œKFMâ€™s creative accounting with worker injuries has been enabled by Cal/OSHAâ€™s schizophrenic jumping between worker protector and employer defender,â€ said labor advocate Jordan Barab, who maintains the worker safety-themed blog, Confined Space. â€œNormally, federal OSHA would have jurisdiction over the parts of the job that were done on floating platforms. Federal OSHA would not give up its jurisdiction on work done on barges in the bay until Cal/OSHA agreed to a â€˜compliance assistance partnershipâ€™ with KFM ... but a written partnership agreement, with explicit roles and rights for workers and their unions, was never formalized with KFM.â€

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Join Master Lock for this presentation on a best practices approach to the many ways effective group lockout can be performed. From efficiency tips that make simple group lockout easy to apply, to detailed techniques that can protect large numbers of workers servicing complex machinery systems, this webinar promises to have something for everyone attending.

During this 60 minute, informative webinar presented by Safety Products Group, makers of BlueWater Rooftop Safety Solutions, and Fabenco In-Plant Safety Solutions, the issue of rooftop fall protection and prevention will be addressed. What is actually up on your facility’s roof that may be a fall hazard? What should you look for the next time you or one of your contractors is up on the roof to stay safe? What steps can you take to ensure your company and its people are always protected on your roof?